


Growing Pains

by A Magiluna Stormwriter (ariestess)



Category: Gargoyles (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Clones, Established Relationship, F/F, Family Bonding, Family Dynamics, Family Feels, Light Angst, Mother-Daughter Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-13
Updated: 2018-07-13
Packaged: 2019-06-10 04:56:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15284142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ariestess/pseuds/A%20Magiluna%20Stormwriter
Summary: It won't be easy. It won't be perfect. But it's family, and that's all Elisa needs to know. They'll worry about the bumps in the road as they come up.





	Growing Pains

**Author's Note:**

  * For [fenellaevangela](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fenellaevangela/gifts).



> Date Written: 13-20 July 2018  
> Word Count: 2855  
> Written for: everywoman 2018  
> Recipient: fenellaevangela  
> Summary: It won't be easy. It won't be perfect. But it's family, and that's all Elisa needs to know. They'll worry about the bumps in the road as they come up.  
> Spoilers: Canon divergent AU jinking off completely from Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles ep 01x08, and takes places approximately three months after that episode. Everything we know about the characters is still up for grabs, though only Thailog ended up dying of all of the clones.  
> Warnings: No standard warnings apply.  
> Website: ShatterStorm Productions – Doggie Duo  
> Link to: http://bdkk.shatterstorm.net/   
> Archive: ShatterStorm Productions & AO3 only…all others ask for permission & we'll see…  
> Feedback: Constructive criticism is always welcome.
> 
> Author’s Disclaimer: "Gargoyles," the characters, and situations depicted are the property of Greg Weisman, Disney, Buena Vista Television, Disney Television Animation, and Walt Disney Animation Japan. This piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment not monetary purposes. Previously unrecognized characters and places, and this story, are copyrighted to the author. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. This site is in no way affiliated with "Gargoyles," Disney, or any representatives of the actors.
> 
> Author’s Notes: I was thrilled to get matched on Gargoyles, as it's one of my favorite series ever. And having the option of playing with Elisa/Demona, which is probably my OTP from the series, just made it better. I loved my recipient's requests for awkward family time and dealing with the relationships between Elisa, Demona, and Delilah, while also having the option of including the rest of the Maza family. Yes, only Derek/Talon made an appearance, but Beth was mentioned. Writing this has made me realize just how much I missed this show and need to do a full series rewatch…
> 
> Dedication: My muses, as usual…
> 
> Beta: Many thanks to Jo for the last minute beta eyes.

"We need to do something about Delilah."

Elisa is surprised to see Demona standing in front of her. No, not Demona. It's half past three on a Friday afternoon in July and they're in the station bullpen. This is Dominique Destine. Not that the distinction is really necessary for Elisa. There aren't many people who know about Demona's daylight curse, or the complexities of their relationship; both more for the gargoyle's safety than anything else.

"Well, hello to you, too, Ms. Destine. How can I assist you today?"

Those dark eyes narrow dangerously, but Elisa simply smiles and waits for the inevitable blowup that Demona's practically famous for. She leans back in her chair, already bored out of her mind and waiting for her shift to end. She has a free weekend and plans with the lovely brunette standing in front of her.

Demona leans in to rest her hands on the edge of the desk, the scent of her expensively sinful perfume wafting over to Elisa. When she speaks, her voice is pitched low. "We need to do something about our… _daughter_. She's not doing well."

That catches Elisa's attention and she sits up more to study her partner's face. "Has something happened?" The hesitation is clear on Demona's face, and it makes Elisa's guts twist. She's worried about Delilah and the rest of the Clones in Labyrinth Clan ever since Goliath and Thailog managed to thwart Sevarius in his plan to destroy the Clones with the serum and his gargantuan cloned gargoyle, Anton. "Dem-- _Dominique_ , what is going on?"

Before Demona can reply, Captain Chavez steps out of her office with an inscrutable look on her face. "Maza, you got any open cases you need to brief me on?"

"No, ma'am. Pretty much just cooling my heels until they need me in court. Earliest case goes before Judge Frakes next week."

"You put in the schedule shift for your appearance?"

"Plan to as soon as the D.A. gives me a day and time."

"Good." Chavez smiles then, eyes briefly glancing over to Demona before returning to Elisa. "Take the rest of the day off."

"Captain?"

"You've been putting in a lot of extra hours since Bluestone got laid up in the hospital. Give yourself a break and go enjoy a little more of this gorgeous weather. I hear it's supposed to rain next week."

"Thanks, Captain! I'll buy you lunch one day next week."

Offering a generic hand wave, Chavez laughs and heads back into her office. Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Elisa grins and starts straightening up the files on her desk. She hums a bit under her breath, wondering how bad traffic is going to be for her to head home. The softly cleared throat draws her attention again, and she glances up to see Demona standing there with a quirked brow and her arms crossed under her breasts. Shit! Delilah!

"Um, give me a few to finish up here and then I'll buy you a cup of coffee and we can discuss this Delilah situation?"

*****

By the time they walk to the coffee shop that Elisa prefers, Demona is practically vibrating with the need to discuss whatever is bothering her. Elisa's not even surprised when she orders an iced lemongrass green tea, and orders the same with a blackberry scone. They find a table in a quiet corner and sit down, chairs close to each other.

"So," Elisa asks, breaking off a piece of her scone, "what's going on with Delilah? Is she having issues fitting in with the rest of the Clan again? I can talk to Goli--"

"No."

The word is said so vehemently, it startles her. When Demona offers nothing further, she sighs, chewing and swallowing. "Okay, so I won't talk to him. Can I speak to _any_ of them about this? Angela maybe?"

"Angela is part of the problem." Demona clears her throat and takes a sip of her tea. "No, she's _exactly_ part of the problem, but she did bring it to my attention. She said that Delilah is acting oddly. She's exhibiting behaviors that don't fit within either Clan currently. I suppose you could liken it to your rebellions teen years, but Angela says that she and Broadway have also witnessed moments of childlike regression."

"Have you talked to anyone in Labyrinth Clan about this? I know they see Delilah more than any of us do." There's an odd pang of regret to her tone. She knows she should be spending more time with the young woman. It's still so strange to realize that Delilah is technically some weird fusion of a sister and a daughter, thanks to the DNA Sevarius stole from her. 

"No. I was hoping you could help out there, given your brother and everything."

Elisa frowns and nods. "Yeah, I suppose I owe him and Maggie a visit. We could go see them now, if you want? I'm off work and you're clearly not working since you're here. I'll check on my brother and sister-in-law and we can both talk to Delilah."

Demona nods slowly, sipping at her tea as she studies Elisa's face. "When was the last time you saw any of them? Your brother or Delilah in particular?" When Elisa sheepishly shrugs, Demona sighs deeply. "You are an idiot, my love. I expect that of other humans, but I thought you were better than that. They are your family, Elisa, and you know it. You were the one to come down on your sister and parents when they were hesitant about Talon and Maggie. Why are you like this now, all of a sudden?"

"It's-- It's complicated," Elisa finally replies, not meeting her lover's eyes. She takes another bite of her scone, swallowing it with a sip of her tea. She goes to take another bite when Demona reaches across to take it from her with an arched brow. "Fine," she says with a roll of her eyes. "I'm jealous of my brother, okay? He's got something that I'm never going to have."

"You want to be a Mutate?" is the instant reply before Demona takes a big bite of the scone.

"Ha-ha, very funny." She sighs before continuing. "I'm jealous that Talon and Maggie are going to have a baby, okay?" She tenses for the teasing she's sure is coming. When Demona remains silent, curiosity gets the best of her, and she looks up to see the brunette quietly staring at her. "What?"

"You never told me you wanted kids." Her voice is quiet, curious.

Elisa shrugs. "It's something I realized isn't going to work for me. Between being a cop, dating a woman, and, well, you know…" She vaguely gestures at Demona. "It's not in the cards for me, but seeing Derek get this opportunity just gets to me, okay?"

"If you truly want this for yourself, you can have it." Demona reaches across the table to squeeze her hand gently. "You've never brought this up before, Elisa. Why is that?"

"Well, it's not like you and I can…" She shakes her head. "It doesn't matter. I've accepted that it's just not in the cards for me. Come on, let's go talk to Delilah, then maybe we can get our weekend started."

"Delilah's still regenerating, my love, or have you forgotten the time?"

Elisa frowns at her words, but nods reluctantly. "I guess I did."

Demona smiles and strokes a finger along her palm. "Finish your tea and then we'll go back to my loft. You need to relax more, and I know just how to achieve that."

*****

By the time they reach the tunnel taking them down to the Labyrinth Clan's lair, tension writhes in Elisa's gut until she wants to vomit. But she's going to be the bigger person and deal with her issues, no matter how difficult it is. Demona's already shifted into her gargoyle form, and a part of Elisa misses the human guise, even as she admires this stronger form that her lover is more comfortable in. The subtle twitch of Demona's tail belies her own bout of nerves, making Elisa relax a little bit.

Unsurprisingly, Talon is the one to meet them at the gated entrance. Derek's always had a preternatural awareness of his older sister, and it's only grown stronger since Sevarius forced him to become Talon. He grins, showing that mouthful of sharp teeth, and says, "Sis! It's been a while, hasn't it?" He nuzzles briefly at her cheek when she steps into his embrace, then inclines his head at Demona. "Always a pleasure to see you, Demona."

"You're a liar," comes the reply with a snort, "but I suppose I can overlook that for today." She goes quiet for a moment, letting brother and sister interact. "How is she doing?"

He sighs and shrugs, pulling back to let both women enter the lair. "She struggles. You and I both know she's had the hardest recovery of all of the Clones. It's like…" His eyes go distant for a handful of breaths. "It's like she splintered somehow and doesn't know how to put herself back together."

"Take us to her?" Elisa is surprised she's the one to say the words, and yet she knows that she's the one who hasn't been there the longest. Talon and Demona pick up some sort of conversation as they traverse the tunnels further into the lair. She can't pay attention to it, her thoughts swirling around her earlier conversation with Demona and her fears about what will happen when she sees Delilah.

"--jealous of the baby."

His words pull her out of her thoughts. "What did you say?"

"We think Delilah may be jealous of the baby in that older sibling kind of way." Talon smiles sheepishly at her. "Remember how I was when Beth was born?"

That makes Elisa laugh. "You were such a brat when she was little. It wasn't until she turned like two that you even thought she was a real person, and then she was at least five before you started to warm up to her." As she says it, memories flitting through her mind, she realizes what's going on. They stop outside the common room in the lair, and she licks her lips nervously. "I'm-- I'm sorry I haven't visited like I should, Derek. I've been an idiot."

"Well, at least you can finally admit it," he replies and hugs her. "I get it, so does Maggie. Delilah may need some convincing though."

"Do you know where she is?"

"She was in here when I left, but she might've returned to her room. She's a bit leery of flying lately."

Nodding, Elisa takes a deep breath and follows him into the common room. She scans the room and finds Delilah curled up next to Maggie, one taloned hand pressed to the bulge of her belly. Both are half-asleep and Elisa feels that twinge of guilt that her sister-in-law has had to step into the role of comforting presence. As one, they glance up at her, but Delilah's eyes burn with curiosity and fear before she looks away again. Elisa walks over to them, distractedly waving to the others in the room, then kneels before the pile of pillows both are lying on.

"Elisa, you look well," Maggie says softly, fingers in Delilah's hair. "We've missed you."

"I know." Elisa swallows thickly. "I don't have a good excuse for either of you, but I'm here now and I want to make it up to you."

"You'll just leave again," Delilah mutters, shifting closer against Maggie's side.

"Yes and no," she replies honestly. Without thinking, she reaches out to touch the hand on Maggie's belly. "I owe you the biggest apology, Delilah. I've been a coward and a bad… I'm not sure if you'd rather consider me sister or mother. Both work, don't they?"

Delilah shrugs, but glances up at her as she studies her face, then points to Demona. " _She_ is my mother. I mostly have her DNA." When Elisa nods, unable to speak, she continues a bit louder. "But I have your DNA, too, and I sound like you. Does that work for sisters?"

"It can. You've met Beth. When she was little, she looked just like me. But I'm also involved with Demona, so I-- Look, I know I've been awful to you, and I want to make it up to you. Whatever you want, if it's in my power to grant it, you'll have it. I know this hasn't been easy on you, especially after what almost happened, and I haven't helped you deal with it at all. I'm not even sure I really dealt with it myself, but I'd really like to fix that now. You, me, and Demona. We're all connected, whether we like it or not, and you never leave family behind. I know this, and I did it anyway, and I'm sorry."

While she speaks, everything else fades away, so she can't help but jump as Demona's warm hand lands on her shoulder. She glances up into the dark, compassionate eyes that once were filled only with pain and vengeance, and she can see the similarities in Delilah' eyes. They're family, they're connected in ways that may boggle the mind, but all that matters is that they're here now and she's willing to make up for her mistakes. Naked emotions flick past Delilah's eyes too quickly for Elisa to properly identify them, but she understands what Demona said earlier as an almost childlike innocence settles on Delilah's features. In the space between one breath and the next, Delilah launches herself at Elisa, enveloping her in a tight hug, as well as her wings, as she cries and clutches at her.

"Shh," she whispers to Delilah, rubbing her back gently. "It's okay, I'm here now. We're gonna do this together, okay? You're not alone, I promise. I'm gonna come visit you more often, and you can come visit me and Demona, too."

"You mean it?"

"I mean it. I know it's not gonna be easy to figure out everything between us and how to be a family, but we _are_ a family."

"No," Demona replies just as softly, causing both Elisa and Delilah to stiffen. "We're a clan, and clan always takes care of each other. I've been just as remiss as Elisa in making this known to you, Delilah. We will figure out what we can call each other, but I will admit that I have thought of you as my daughter, every bit as much as Angela is my daughter. You have bits of me and bit of Elisa within you. I would be honored if you considered me your mother."

"So would I," Elisa says, finally realizing just how _right_ that feels. "You don't have to call either of us by anything that you don't want to. Our names are just as good as anything else."

Delilah leans back. "But what made you change your mind? You just left me here after they healed me."

"I don't have a good excuse. I was scared and had a weird jealous streak." She motions back toward Talon. "That goober I call a brother helped me realize it tonight. And Demona did, too. She was just a little more heavy-handed and stubborn about it, which is something that I love about her."

"I am not the only stubborn one involved here," Demona replies drily, which makes them laugh. When Delilah sinks back into the embrace, Demona's wings spread to envelop both of them. "So you need to confess to _that_ hubris, as well, my love."

"Okay, you're right. I'm a stubborn idiot with issues of my own to work through."

"So…" Delilah begins, then trails off uncertainly. She looks at both of them for a long moment. "You don't hate me?"

" _Never!_ " is Elisa's immediate response. "I was being stupid about a lot of things and I inadvertently took them out on you. I am so sorry for making you feel like you didn't matter, Delilah."

"I think I understand, but I have questions. For both of you. Is that okay?"

Elisa smiles broadly and rests her forehead against Delilah's. "That's more than okay. Family and clan stick together, no matter what. It may take some time, but we can get through this if we're all willing to do the dirty work."

"I live in an underground lair," Delilah replies, sounding a little _too much_ like both of her genetic mothers. "I think I know my way around dirt. I'm willing to do this if you both are."

Demona's knowing laugh eases the last of Elisa's fears about this visit. "Oh, we're willing. And if Elisa isn't, well, I'm older and far more stubborn than she'll ever be able to resist." She waggles her brows at both of them, making them join her in laughter.

It won't be easy. It won't be perfect. But it's family, and that's all Elisa needs to know. They'll worry about the bumps in the road as they come up.


End file.
